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Set after
Keys to the Demon Prison
(No Dragonwatch)
⟢ Kendra/Alyssa ⟣
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While Alyssa takes care of Kendra, Kendra discovers she's more than sick—she's lovesick.

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Heavy panting crowded Kendra's ears. Every strained breath labored on her patience until awful retching overcame everything. Then, the panting became a blessing.

Kendra leaned against the bathroom wall and tried to will her sickness away.

Come on, she saved the world from the demons. Surely that would count for something?

Unfortunately, the little virus that had wormed its way into her body didn't seem to care.

Kendra rolled her head to the cool bathtub ceramic and sighed. Oh, for the love of everything good, end her suffering. Please. Anyone.

Her phone's ding lit up the room, but Kendra didn't move.

If she exerted energy to reach for anything, it would be for the medicine cabinet and not her phone.

Although, Kendra wasn't sure if it had been long enough since her last dose of acetaminophen to safely take more. She usually remembered to write dosage times down in her notes, but the rubber bands squeezing her cotton-filled skull made her forget many things.

Too many things. Like the fact that Alyssa was supposed to come over tonight.

Footsteps sent faint tremors through the floor. That wasn't right. No one was home. Kendra's family was on vacation.

Who was that?

Her answer—an angel—came through the widening crack of the door. Alyssa's blonde hair was tucked behind her ears as concern pinched her features.

Even with the concerned demeanor, no other human could exude beauty the way Alyssa did, through her pockmarks and smiles and heart.

That's it...Kendra was not in her right mind.

Kendra half-heartedly raised a hand. "Hey, Alyssa. I forgot to tell you. 'm sick."

"Yeah, I can tell." Alyssa stepped through the doorway. "Are you alright?"

"Not really," Kendra admitted. It was a struggle to even keep her eyes trained on Alyssa, at this point.

Alyssa crouched and rested her hand on Kendra's face. Without thought, Kendra leaned into her touch.

With her other hand, Alyssa used some toilet paper to scratch at Kendra's face.

Kendra scrunched her nose and turned into Alyssa's hand to escape the toilet paper. "Ouch."

"You had something on you."

"It still hurt. But, thanks." Kendra studied how Alyssa's lips twisted in concern. "You don't have to stay."

"I don't have to, but I want to." Alyssa moved her hand to Kendra's forehead. The cool palm soothed the heat of her forehead. "Can I stay?"

"I'm too sick to do anything." Kendra watched Alyssa stand up and rifle through the medicine cabinet.

"Yeah." Alyssa shoved a few pill bottles to the side.

"It won't be fun."

"Nope."

Kendra sighed. "I don't want you to get you sick."

"I licked too many pennies as a kid to have a bad immune system now."

"That's not how it works."

"How would you know? You clearly can't fight a cold." Alyssa plucked her prize from the cabinet, a thermometer, and shut the cabinet door.

"Alyssa."

"I won't get sick." Alyssa returned to her crouch with the thermometer. "You, however, seem to have fallen ill."

Kendra rolled her eyes. "Obviously, Alyssa."

She smiled and stuck the thermometer in Kendra's mouth. "Lift your tongue and close your lips."

Kendra did not enjoy having a stick in her mouth. Fortunately, the thermometer beeped and Alyssa pulled it out.

"What's it say, Dr. Carter?"

"I don't know, it takes a second." Alyssa shook the thermometer. "100.1."

"Is that bad?"

Alyssa looked grim and took a huge breath before turning to Kendra, wiping at fake tears. "You have maybe a minute before you die. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

"You should be an actress," Kendra said dryly.

"You're right." Alyssa waved around the thermometer. "I certainly have enough medical knowledge to play a doctor. For example, 100.1 is not 98.6."

Kendra cracked a smile. "But the question remains: is 100.1 bad?"

Alyssa took out her phone. "Let me look it up."

"I thought you took health for, like, two years."

"Shush." Alyssa turned her phone around, blinding Kendra with Google's answer. "It says it's not high enough to be a fever, but your temperature shouldn't be that high either."

"Just sedate me until it goes away." Kendra rolled her head back against the tub and closed her eyes.

"Kendra. No."

Water droplets hit Kendra's leg and made her snap her head up. Alyssa held a sopping rag, and Kendra curled away from it. "What, are you going to clean me?"

"You're supposed to put a damp rag on your head for a fever."

"That rag is way more than damp; it's dripping water everywhere."

"Fine," Alyssa muttered and leant over Kendra to squeeze it out in the bathtub. Alyssa's necklace dangled in front of Kendra's eyes.

"Now, you have a damp rag." Alyssa slopped it onto Kendra's forehead.

"Thanks," Kendra sighed. Droplets of water dripped down her face, providing relief to the heat. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Alyssa cocked her head.

There were so many things to do on a Saturday night, and Kendra roped Alyssa in to take care of her.

"Burden," Kendra mumbled as she closed her eyes.

"Kendra. If I wanted to leave, I would. You know there's no way anyone could make me do something I didn't want to. Now be quiet, you need to rest."

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The next time Kendra awoke was to the murmur of rainfall over a sitcom. Alyssa's laugh stood out over the canned laugh track. It was heavenly.

Fluffy blankets encompassed Alyssa and the couch. She sat a foot or so away.

Another joke Kendra couldn't decipher coaxed a soft laugh out of Alyssa. If Kendra could pick a sound to hear forever, it would be that. The love, the happiness, the security that came out of hearing that sound—priceless.

It was priceless.

Alyssa had been such a cornerstone for Kendra. Coming back from the demon prison had been so rough.

Once the business of saving the world abated, the feelings and grief Kendra had pushed away came flooding back in. She had been an empty shell filled with mourning for herself, her friends, and her family.

All the people she had witnessed take their last breath—Kendra had been writing their names down. She couldn't remember them all, but it felt wrong that their death had been swept up in the chaos of war. Someone had to remember them. Kendra would.

Seth drifted too. Kendra didn't notice at the time.

It had been rough returning to life. It had been rough going through the minutiae of the day while apathy numbed any passion.

Then Alyssa had arrived.

Kendra didn't magically come out of the muck or be imbued with joy. In fact, that reunion was very rough.

It didn't matter. They were past that.

Alyssa had made sure of that.

"Kendra?"

Kendra dragged her gaze from the blurry TV to Alyssa. Alyssa's smile accompanied a pat to the hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Not good," Kendra shifted upwards. "A bit cold."

"Here, share my blanket." Alyssa lifted the edge and patted next to her. "It's small so you're going to have to squeeze."

Kendra scooted over; the warmth from Alyssa's eyes comforting her. Alyssa's body heat helped, too, but the way Alyssa looked at her spilled more warmth than any chemical reaction could.

"Thank you."

Alyssa wrapped an arm around Kendra. "Don't worry about it."

With a smile tucked down, Kendra took her advice.

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the end